Hughes Net Pointing Question

[Cajun20th]

I'd like to purchase a hughes net dish for my camper. I already have a birdog for my Directv dish and I am pretty sure I can find a bird for hughes net. I have a few questions though,
1. What satellite does Hughes Net use?
2. Can I move my camper say 100 miles and still get connected? (I'm pretty sure the satellites are the same, but I'm worried about transponder changes or spotbeams for hugesnet)
3. Can I point my Hughes Net Dish with only a birdog and not an OPI?

Thanks
Cajun20th

 

[grohgreg]

1. Over a dozen that require Ku-band equipment, and one spotbeam satellite that requires Ka-band equipment
2. On many of the Ku-band, yes. On the Ka-band, no.
3. Never used a BD, as it's my understanding that they can't perform the necessary ACP testing. So I'd say stick with the OPI if you can find one. The DAPT is more common these days, and is backward-compatible

//greg//

 

[AlanRT]

Yes, you can use your Birdog to locate HughesNet satellites.

You can also use the ACP cross pole test in the modem to adjust your dish without an OPI or DAPT, but the DAPT makes it easier to do this work entirely outside at the dish without assistance, putting your laptop outside, or having to run back and forth to the PC to see if your cross pole passes.

Per Greg's comment about Ku/Ka, you will want to buy an HN7000S modem (Ku), not a 9000 (Ka). The 9000s won't work if you're traveling.

 

[Cajun20th]

What satellite do I need to program into my birdog for hughesnet?

 

[AlanRT]

Well, that will largely depend upon which HughesNet satellite you will be assigned when your account is commissioned. However, Birdogs normally have several satellites already pre programmed, but you may want to download and install the most currently available master file for your meter version: Birdog.

Note: If you plan on traveling very far into Mexico or Canada, you may want to try and get assigned to a satellite with coverage into those areas. Not all satellites have the same coverage.

 

[Cajun20th]

yea, that's what I'm up against. I don't know the satellte my modem is assigned to. When going through my modem, I put in my zip code and it gives me the elevation and azimuth needed, but it never tells me what satellite I am aiming for. Without the satellite name, I don't know which satellite to put on the birdog in order to get the same bird. Pointing with a birdog is so much easier I would like to get it set up this way.

 

[AlanRT]

Oh, you already have a modem and a HughesNet account?

If so, then click on this link http://192.168.0.1. That should take you into the modem. Then click on the System Info button. There you will see what satellite you're on. They're identified by degrees longitude and not by name.

If you don't have an activated modem, whatever satellite info you find there will probably change once you get an account.

Are you trying to set up your dish first, and then order service? Then it doesn't make a lot of difference which satellite you aim at initially. HN will assign you a bird of their choice, regardless of what your modem reads now. My experience is they don't always follow their own commissioning rules. Last batch of rules I received suggest that Louisiana is getting assigned to G25-27K (93° West) for 7000 Home and Pro service plans. You might start from there and see what happens.

 

[AlanRT]

BTW, when you're traveling, you would put in the zip code where you're at, and not the zip for your home address. Better to enter your location manually and put in the exact GPS coordinates for the current location.

 

[Cajun20th]

OK, it's giving me 117W (Which is SATMEX5) and 970MHz receive Frequency. How important is the receive frequency? This system was originally activated in Colorado for a co-worker of mine. He and I are working 14 and 14 offshore, so we are sharing a camper that travels between Brownsville, TX and Gulfshores Alabama. Well, he brought this Hughesnet system down to Galveston TX and tried to set it up. He went into (192.168.0.1/fs/registration/setup.html) to point the dish. He then went into Registration Installer to change the zip code so he could get the accurate el and azi of galveston tx. The next screen asks what transdonder his antenna point to. In that drop down box I do not see SM5GTN_970_1K like he saw when he was in Colorado. The closest I have is SM5GTN_990_2K. Should I still be able to connect to the hughes net system with this change in transdponders? Also, in going to the birdog website, SATMEX5 has both the vertical and horizontal streams, which one does Hughes Net Use?

 

[grohgreg]

SM5/970H isn't listed in the current SBC file or commissioning rules. Nor is 990V. Not sure, but that might suggest that Hughes isn't leasing either the 970 nor 990 transponders anymore. We need input from an installer here. If that's the case, you'll have to get the account transferred to an active transponder before you can proceed.

//greg//
View attachment sbcNAD081611.zip
View attachment FSB_110331_01A_Updated_Commissioning_Rules.pdf

 

[Cajun20th]

So I cannot just select a different satmex5 transponder and get this to work? If not, can i get this account switched to an active transponder without a "Certified Installer"? In other words, can i call Hughes Net and get this account switched to an active transponder?

 

[grohgreg]

Before anyone can answer that, we need to know if the account is active? Lapsed? Paid up? Balance due? Overdue?

//greg//

 

[AlanRT]

Tech Support has been assigning 970 lately whenever we request Ku AOTs to SM-5 (Mexico/Central American HughesNet sites). May be part of their ongoing load balancing but isn't something they're putting into the commissioning rules. Kinda funny/useless when they routinely ask for the current signal strength and ACP values for the SM-5 transponder we're peaked on considering they're not going to use that one anyway...

BTW, BirDogs were having trouble ID'ing SM-5 in the last few months. Perfect10 was supposed to modify the configuration files online to fix this but not sure if they have yet. In the meantime, we've been using the spectrum analyzer to peak.

 

[Cajun20th]

The account is active, payment has never been late, and balance is zero. So, can I just use a different transponder on SATMEX5 to get this to work, or is it a must to have it on 970_1K? Also, can I call and get this changed to a different transponder that is on my list?

 

[grohgreg]

Where ever an account in good standing is patched to at the NOC end - is where the modem must be set to at the customer end. Assuming SM5/970 at the NOC, it's "a must" that the dish must be pointed at SM5 and your modem be set to 970H. Only problem is - since the SBC and commissioning rules don't list 970 - I don't know the symbol rate/modulation type/DVB mode. But given that he's tuned to it recently, AlanRT can probably provide that info.

/greg//

 

[AlanRT]

I believe it's 970 MHz, H/H pol, 33 Msps symbol, DVB-S2-ACM, QPSK.

But you can use any active transponder on SM-5 to run the registration on a repoint. Once the modem reboots, it will download the assigned parameters from the NOC and overwrite whatever you put in.

 

[AlanRT]

You will not be able to call and get a different transponder assigned, nor should you need to.

 

[Cajun20th]

So, as long as I point to satmex 5, any transponder should work. Alan, you stated "But you can use any active transponder on SM-5 to run the registration on a repoint. Once the modem reboots, it will download the assigned parameters from the NOC and overwrite whatever you put in." When you say "it will download the assigned parameters from the NOC" is there a phone call that needs to be made, or will it do this automatically?

 

[AlanRT]

Once the modem reboots, it [the modem] will [automatically] download the assigned parameters from the NOC and overwrite whatever you put in.

 

[stardust3]

Maybe I missed something, but I don't understand the need to change the parameters on the modem unless it's a spot beam & he's out of range. The easiest way for him to tune the dish is to let the birdog in the truck, get a long LAN cable, enough to go from the modem to the dish & use a laptop. From the hughes system contol panel/registration installer he would have everything needed to get the system up & running. I take screen shots of all my last successful parameters for the different birds. The 1 attached is from 10/7/11 for 117w.